A brief history of advanced practice nursing and its implications for WOC advanced nursing practice.

Although the evolution of clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners during the previous several decades has led to a sense of novelty regarding advanced practice, it is important to remember that nurses have engaged in such roles for nearly 100 years. This article will review the history of advanced nursing practice, summarize current definitions of specialty and advanced practice, discuss the evolution of advanced practice and its impact on contemporary nursing, and provide a background for advanced practice considerations for the WOC nurse, which are discussed in detail in subsequent articles by Janice Beitz (pp 55-64) and Dorothy Doughty (pp 65-8) in this issue.